If all has gone to plan, then the ‘all new’ Gaming Industry Expo (GIE) being held at the International Exhibition Centre, Kyiv, will be ushering in a new age of live, in-person, traditional gaming B2B events that, of course, will need to be Covid‑19 and international travel restriction free.
Highlighting the return of Ukraine’s legal, venue based and long awaited gaming industry, GIE has faced many roadblocks on its route to reality.
Having already changed the show’s name, (substituting Gaming for Entertainment in its title) and postponed from April to June, 9–11, GIE aims to be a celebration of the new look casino and gaming arcade industry created by the passing of the new law that spelled the end of Ukraine’s 11 year legal gaming shutdown.
New license applications are being processed, new venues (that will be located only in Ukraine’s casinos — and exclusively in 5* hotels within Kyiv) are being prepared and many new jobs are being created, in both gaming venues and their supply chains, thus bringing in new opportunities for wealth creation.
Leading gaming industry suppliers are eagerly anticipating the opening of what is effectively a brand new market and have voted positively by agreeing to exhibit their products at GIE. Among them, Germany’s Merkur Gaming brand (part of the world famous Gauselmann Group) will take a prime position; making good on the company’s pledge to give its full support and commitment to gaming in the Ukraine’s new future.
Merkur Gaming have already created a showroom in Kyiv and, whilst that has of necessity been restricted to ‘invited guests only’ the response to the displayed products has been nothing short of amazing. Many of those products will feature on Booth 211 at GIE and show visitors will be encouraged to view and to play for themselves the latest in Merkur’s cabinets, brand new games and high quality multiplayer innovations.
And there is more! In ‘normal’ times Merkur chose to make major product launches at either G2E in Las Vegas or ICE in London but, with so many new games all ready to reveal, have decided that GIE is the ideal event at which to stage World Premiere status presentations of, to name just a few, 20 New Games such as like Book of Fire, Fruit Burst, the Chinese themed Gong-Hei Gong-Hei and also the extremely interesting title Black Hole. There will also be a Ukraine specific package of 40 games that are being presented totally in Ukrainian language and shown in a variety of the very latest showcase cabinets.
Merkur Gaming dedicated Ukrainian and international teams are ready to welcome visitors and business partners, in person, and extend their best wishes to GIE and its organization for what it is hoped will be a truly welcome show that marks a significant step on the path to gaming industry recovery.